A 19-year-old man accused of killing a teenager and leaving his body inside a District apartment to decompose is on the run, and U.S. Marshals Service deputies are asking the public’s help in capturing him again.
D.C. police arrested and charged Kendrick Phillips in September with first-degree murder in connection with the December 2009 homicide of 16-year-old Deonte Payton. Deonte’s body was found at the Stanton Glenn Apartments in Southeast Washington after neighbors complained of a foul odor.
Deonte, of the 1800 block of Frederick Douglass Place SE, was shot to death and had been in the apartment for up to 10 days, according to court records.
At Phillips’ bond hearing, D.C. Superior Court Judge Gerald I. Fisher, substituting for trial Judge Lynn Leibovitz, released Phillips and ordered him to wear an ankle-monitoring bracelet while he awaited trial.
On April 13, the District’s pre-trial services agency received an electronic alert that the bracelet had been tampered with overnight, authorities said. Leibovitz called for an emergency hearing and issued a warrant for Payton’s arrest. He hasn’t been spotted since.
U.S. Marshals Service deputies believe Phillips is still in possession of the firearm used to kill Deonte, and he should be considered armed and dangerous.
Phillips, who is also known as Ken-Ken, is described as being about 5-feet-7 and 130 pounds.
Anyone with information regarding Phillips’ whereabouts is urged to call U.S. Marshals Inspector Bob Hoffmaster at 202-345-7036, the Marshals Service at 301-489-1717 or 800-336-0102.
A reward is available for information that leads to Phillips’ apprehension. Tips from readers of The Washington Examiner have led directly to the capture of 29 people, including convicted murders, sex offenders and armed robbers.
The Capital Area Regional Fugitive Task Force, run by the U.S. Marshals Service, is composed of 30 federal, state and local agencies from Baltimore to Norfolk. The unit has captured more than 33,000 wanted fugitives since its creation in 2004.
